Multifunctional Baby Garment
A multifunctional article of clothing for babies and toddlers is presented. In an embodiment, the multifunctional baby garment comprises a one-piece bodysuit with a set of fold-over mitten cuffs and a set of fold-over foot cuffs, which enables a parent or caregiver to change the function of the garment from a romper-style playsuit into a loungewear-style sleeper. The set of mitten cuffs can fold over the baby's or toddler's hands to prevent it from scratching its face and to keep them warm, and the set of foot cuffs can fold over the baby's or toddler's feet to keep them warm so that he or she can sleep comfortably. Both the mitten cuffs and foot cuffs can be folded up and out of the way when the baby awakes and is ready for active playtime or walking, without requiring an additional wardrobe change for the transition.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/377,645, filed Aug. 21, 2016, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to baby garments, and in particular, to a multifunctional article of clothing for babies and toddlers.
BACKGROUNDMost babies need multiple naps a day, and toddlers need at least one, if not more. Naps are typically preceded and followed by playtime, necessitating a change of clothes from a romper (which allows the baby or toddler to enjoy playtime without a foot covering that could interfere with balance or sure footing when the baby or toddler attempts to walk) to a sleeper (which keeps the baby's feet more comfortably warm, allowing for better sleep). However, changing the baby's or toddler's clothes from a romper to a sleeper at the time when he or she is becoming drowsy and ready to sleep wakes him or her up, requiring another period of calming down before the baby or toddler is ready to sleep again. This makes putting the baby or toddler down for a nap a needlessly prolonged and frustrating process for the parent or caregiver.
Thus, there is a need for a clothing item that obviates the necessity of changing what a baby is wearing when transitioning from playtime to naptime, saving time and frustration for the parent or caregiver.
SUMMARYIt is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunctional article of clothing for babies and toddlers. In an example, a one-piece bodysuit includes both a set of fold-over mitten cuffs and a set of fold-over foot cuffs, which enables a parent or caregiver to change the function of the garment from a romper-style playsuit into a loungewear-style sleeper, thereby reducing the number of wardrobe changes required for the baby or toddler throughout the day. The set of mitten cuffs can fold over the baby's or toddler's hands to prevent it from scratching its face and to keep them warm, and the set of foot cuffs can fold over the baby's or toddler's feet to keep them warm so that he or she can sleep comfortably. Both the mitten cuffs and foot cuffs can further be folded up and out of the way when the baby awakes and is ready for active playtime or walking, without requiring an additional wardrobe change for the transition.
These illustrative embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define the limits of the present subject matter, but to provide examples to aid in the understanding thereof. Unless the meaning is clearly to the contrary, all ranges set forth herein and in the claims are deemed inclusive of the endpoints. Illustrative embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, and further examples are provided there. Advantages offered by various embodiments may be further understood by examining this specification and/or by practicing one or more embodiments of the claimed subject matter.
Like labels are used to refer to the same or similar modules in the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe mitten and foot cuffs are fold-over cuffs that are at the ends of the long sleeves and long pant legs, respectively. In an embodiment, the mitten and foot cuffs may be located on the rear side of the garment and can be folded over the hands and feet to the front side of the garment when the baby's hands and feet need to be covered, respectively. In another embodiment, both sets of cuffs may be located on the front of the garment, and can be folded over the hands and feet to the back side of the garment. In yet another embodiment, the cuffs may be located on the outer side of the garment, and may be folded over the hands and feet to the inner side of the garment.
The embodiment shown in
The top stop of the zipper (not explicitly shown in
In another embodiment, the back of the multifunctional baby garment may comprise a drop seat (also referred to as a butt flap) that allows convenient access to a baby's diaper. The drop seat feature is a portion of the rear surface of the one-piece bodysuit that is cut on three sides and fastened to the bodysuit using snap buttons or regular buttons, and which can be easily folded down to enable easier diaper changes.
The foot cuffs are similarly constructed, and the pockets for both the mitten and foot cuffs are made from the same material as the one-piece bodysuit, the long arm sleeves and long pant legs. In an embodiment, using the same single-ply fabric composed of 95% cotton and 5% spandex for the entire baby garment (including the pockets of the mitten and foot cuffs) provides a snug-fitting and comfortable multifunctional baby garment, and prevents over-heating.
The multifunctional baby garment, according to embodiments of the present invention, may be made from a blended fabric that is comprised of 95% viscose from bamboo and 5% spandex (with the percentage compositions varying from 60-99% viscose from bamboo, or organic bamboo, and 1-40% spandex). In another embodiment, the blended fabric may further comprise between 10-40% cotton or organic cotton. For example, the blend may be 67% viscose from organic bamboo, 28% organic cotton and 5% spandex. In yet other embodiments, the garment may be made from 100% organic cotton, a cotton blend (wherein the cotton content ranges may from 20% to 99%) or a polyester blend.
According to other embodiments, a single fabric or a blend of fabrics may be used from the group comprising cotton, organic cotton, bamboo, organic bamboo, spandex, jersey, polyester, mesh, nylon, rayon, acrylic, modacrylic, olefin, acetate, flannel, terry, velour, muslin, elastane, triacetate, ramie, fleece, neoprene, wool, and silk. Any combination of these fibers, regardless of weight, may be used to manufacture embodiments of the present invention.
In certain embodiments, the fabric may be treated with one or more nonflammable fire retardants. For example, “No-Burn Fabric Fire Gard Spray” (or industrial or generic equivalents) may be used to treat the fabric. In other embodiments, stain-proof or waterproof treatments (such as commercially available Scotchguard and Teflon spray and/or liquid products) may be applied to the fabric based on the needs of the parent or caregiver.
In other embodiments, the one-piece bodysuit comprises a neck opening, a pair of long arm sleeves, and a pair of long pant legs, with each of the long arm sleeves and long pant legs terminating in a cuff, as described above, on the rear exterior surfaces. The one-piece bodysuit may further comprise crotch snap closures for easy changing. That is, the inner seam of both long pant legs including in the crotch area may be separable and have snap buttons. The snap closures of a long pant leg run adjacent to one edge of the pocket of the respective foot cuff
Embodiments of the multifunctional baby garment described above may comprise alternate closing mechanisms, or other features like a breast pocket or a kangaroo pockets, or combinations of these features, as will be described below.
As discussed above, the fastening mechanism that extends from the neckline to the middle of either the left or right long pant leg may be a either a zipper or buttons. In other embodiments, the fastening mechanism may be a two-way zipper.
The embodiments shown in
While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily produce modifications to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. For example, features of one or more embodiments of the invention may be combined with one or more features of other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of example rather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of such modifications to, variations on, and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims
1. A multifunctional baby garment, comprising:
- a one-piece bodysuit made of a single-ply fabric, wherein the single-ply fabric is a blend of 95% viscose from bamboo and 5% spandex, and wherein the one-piece bodysuit comprises: a neck opening; a pair of long arm sleeves, wherein each of the pair of long arm sleeves terminates in a mitten cuff, wherein the mitten cuff comprises a pocket made of the single-ply fabric on a rear exterior surface of each of the pair of long arm sleeves and covering half a circumference of each of the pair of long arm sleeves; a pair of long pant legs, wherein each of the pair of long pant legs terminates in a foot cuff, wherein the foot cuff comprises a pocket made of the single-ply fabric on a rear exterior surface of each of the pair of long pant legs and covering half a circumference of each of the pair of long pant legs; a zipper positioned on a front surface of the one-piece bodysuit that extends from the neck opening to a middle of a left one of the pair of long pant legs; and a zipper guard positioned adjacent to the neck opening, wherein the zipper guard comprises a rectangular piece of two layers of the single-ply fabric and a snap button, and wherein the zipper guard covers a top portion of the zipper in a closed position.
2. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 1, further comprising:
- a breast pocket positioned on a front side of the one-piece bodysuit, wherein the breast pocket may be open and functional or sewn shut and decorative.
3. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 1, further comprising:
- a kangaroo pocket positioned on a lower front section of the one-piece bodysuit, and wherein the kangaroo pocket is open on both ends.
4. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 1, wherein a rear surface of the one-piece bodysuit comprises a drop seat with snap buttons.
5. A multifunctional baby garment, comprising:
- a one-piece bodysuit made of a single-ply fabric, and comprising: a neck opening; a pair of long arm sleeves, wherein each of the pair of long arm sleeves terminates in a mitten cuff, wherein the mitten cuff comprises a pocket made of the single-ply fabric on an exterior surface of each of the pair of long arm sleeves and covering half a circumference of each of the pair of long arm sleeves; a pair of long pant legs, wherein each of the pair of long pant legs terminates in a foot cuff, wherein the foot cuff comprises a pocket made of the single-ply fabric on an exterior surface of each of the pair of long pant legs and covering half a circumference of each of the pair of long pant legs; and a fastening mechanism positioned on a front surface of the one-piece bodysuit that extends from the neck opening to a middle of one of the pair of long pant legs.
6. The multifunctional garment of claim 5, wherein the pocket of the mitten cuff is on either a rear exterior surface or a side exterior surface of each of the pair of long arm sleeves, and wherein the pocket of the foot cuff is either on a rear exterior surface or a side exterior surface of each of the pair of long pant legs.
7. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the fastening mechanism is a zipper, and wherein the one-piece bodysuit further comprises a zipper guard.
8. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 7, wherein the zipper guard is positioned adjacent to the neck opening, wherein the zipper guard comprises a rectangular piece of two layers of the single-ply fabric and a snap button, and wherein the zipper guard covers a top portion of the zipper in a closed position.
9. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 7, wherein the zipper guard is a piece of fabric that covers a top portion of the zipper.
10. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the single-ply fabric is a blend of 95% viscose from bamboo and 5% spandex.
11. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the fastening mechanism is selected from the group consisting of two-way zippers, a set of snap button, a set of regular buttons, and a set of hook and loop fasteners.
12. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, further comprising:
- a breast pocket positioned on a front side of the one-piece bodysuit, wherein the breast pocket may be open and functional or sewn shut and decorative.
13. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, further comprising:
- a kangaroo pocket positioned on a lower front section of the one-piece bodysuit, and wherein the kangaroo pocket is open on both ends.
14. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the single-ply fabric is a blend of at least viscose from organic bamboo and spandex, wherein an amount of the viscose from organic bamboo ranges between 60% to 99% and an amount of the spandex ranges from 1% to 40%.
15. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 14, wherein the blend further comprises organic cotton, and wherein an amount of the organic cotton ranges from 10% to 40%.
16. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the single-ply fabric is selected from the group consisting of 100% organic cotton, a cotton blend and a polyester blend.
17. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the one-piece bodysuit is treated with one or more of a flame retardant, a stain-proof sealer and a waterproof sealer.
18. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein the foot cuffs comprise rubber grips or plastic grips.
19. The multifunctional baby garment of claim 5, wherein a rear surface of the one-piece bodysuit comprises a drop seat with snap buttons.
20. A multifunctional baby garment, comprising:
- a one-piece bodysuit made of a single-ply fabric, and comprising: a neck opening; a pair of long arm sleeves, wherein each of the pair of long arm sleeves terminates in a mitten cuff, wherein the mitten cuff comprises a pocket made of the single-ply fabric on an exterior surface of each of the pair of long arm sleeves and covering half a circumference of each of the pair of long arm sleeves; a pair of long pant legs, wherein each of the pair of long pant legs terminates in a foot cuff, wherein the foot cuff comprises a pocket made of the single-ply fabric on an exterior surface of each of the pair of long pant legs and covering half a circumference of each of the pair of long pant legs; and a crotch snap, wherein the crotch snap comprises a set of snap buttons that extend along an inner seam of the pair of long pant legs including in a crotch area of the one-piece bodysuit.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 20, 2017
Publication Date: Feb 22, 2018
Inventors: Jenna Marie Fay (Temecula, CA), Ryan James Fay (Temecula, CA)
Application Number: 15/681,414